Webers or Strombergs

[elanbaby]

Hello,
2 (or was it 3?) years ago I took off the stromberg head with the intention of slight tuning. I removed all debris, checked valves, valve guides and lapped the valve seats. I found the double groove cams in perfect condition, ported the inlets very little and carefully, skimmed the head just to ensure total eveness and decided that everything was ready for assembling.

Then I renovated my house.... and poor Baby Elan S4SE waited patiently in the garage.

At some stage I bought a very good weber head complete with a set of Weber carbs and air filter housing.

Now time and passion for my Lotus are back and I can?t make up my mind which head to fit.

I believe the Strombergs are better than their reputation and looks, but the webers are so much sexier...

The question is: Mistress or loving wife?

Any assistance to shape my opinion is appreciated very much!
Juergen

[simonknee]

Webers (then join in with Keith at sidedraftcentral to find out how to really tune them)

[69S4]

Strombergs, because .... err, um, let me think. 5 mpg better on fuel? Better for the planet? Must be more reasons than that - isn't there?

[FOX5D]

Hi Juergen

There is a previous thread on this debate which offers the pros and cons from various experts, so i suggest you have a look at that.

Other experts (notably Miles Wilkins) seem to favour Strombergs because they are smoother, much better mpg and 'faster'. You also don't have to worry about flooding. The down side to Strombergs seems to revolve around the adverse effect of worn needles and jets and icing up. I understand that Webers have the advantage of getting more fuel in faster so this is very advantageous for racing etc. I suppose it depends on what you want to do with your car.

I have an S4 on Strombergs and an S3 on Webers. Both have the big valve setup and have been set up properly on a rolling road. I favour the Strombergs.

you'll have to get 2 Elans!

Jim

[elanbaby]

Thanks for your thoughts! I read Miles Wilkens and therefore think the Strombergs aren?t that bad... Very easy to work on too (in my opinion).

Still, I have to admit my heart beats faster whenever I view a pair of Webers under some bonnet...

The planet? As long as BP dumps oil platforms, my conscience is be fine with webers fuel efficiency

I?m not into track days, just fast roads. I live near the N?rburgring and there are wonderful B-roads in this region. I like the standard suspension setup and bought a set of Michelin XAS

Great idea to drive two Elans! In fact I am looking for a fhc. But then, which carbs would I prefer...

Cheers,
Juergen

[tyasman]

Am I right in thinking that if you fit Strombergs you need the "power bulge" in the bonnet to accommodate the extra height?

[elanbaby]

Hi Tyasman,
yes, you?re right. That?s how my Elan left factory (Strombergs and "power bulge"). I think many Elans in the 70s were fitted with power bulge bonnet, even when equipped with webers. I guess they had to use up the bonnets that were already made, although eventually people got "their webers" back.

Juergen

[Esprit2]

I believe the Strombergs are better than their reputation and looks, but the webers are so much sexier...
The question is: Mistress or loving wife?

The Zenith-Strombergs are better than their reputation. Their main problem is that they were often installed on emissions engines since the constant depression style carb is better suited to providing a consistent mixture over a variety of conditions. Then the poor things were jetted for emissions and folks were disappointed with their performance. You can jet Webers/ Dellortos for emissions, and you would be less than happy with them as well.

Z-S carbs may not match Webers/ Dellortos for maximum horsepower performance, but on a street engine and jetted for good street running/ performance, the Z-S carbs are not bad carbs or way off the pace.

Having said all that, they are different. The fact that the air valve opens in response to manifold vacuum means there's a little bit of a delay in throttle response that causes a slightly disconnected, remote control feel.

By comparison, a set of venturi-style carbs, like Webers/ Dellortos will have a more crisp, responsive feel to them. Even if they don't produce more power on a given engine, it will feel more awake and urgent.

The upside to Strombergs is that it's harder to stall the engine with constant depression carbs. Since the air valve responds to the vacuum condition in the manifold, it gives the engine what it needs rather than what the right foot demands. Floor a Weber/ Dellorto too quickly off the line or at low rpm, and it's easy to bog the engine down, or stall it. It's a case of, "Be careful what you ask for... you just might get it".

If you have to deal with the streets of San Francisco on a regular basis, a pair of Strombergs might actually have the advantage.

If you intend to autocross or track the car, or just like driving in a very spirited manner much of the time, then you'll appreciate the Weber/ Dellorto carbs. If nothing else, they sound great.

Regards,
Tim Engel

[pamitchell]

And when you're driving up to Lake Tahoe, the Z-S cards will self adjust while Weber owners are rejetting on the side of the road!

[pereirac]

There is a third option...Dellortos

Carl

[elanbaby]

Hello,
I do like the Dellortos quite a lot! They feed my Moto Guzzi too and I once drove an Elan Sprint with Dellortos which ran really beautifully.

Anyway, I have a Stromberg head with carbs and a Weber head with carbs on my bench. They both need new valves, guides and seats. The Stromberbg carbs are in good condition (I drove them before), then I have two sets of matched Webers out of late Elans which seem to be in good condition (I give them a thorough check anyway).

As have no intention to take my Elan on race circuits, I probably prefer the Stromberg and sell all the Weber gear when everything is fine. This should finance the Stromberg head rebuild and leave some money as well.

But now it?s off to holiday in England. The next weeks I?ll dream of driving my Elan but travel with an old Merc Camper instead

Thanks for your thoughts! I?ll keep you updated when I fix my decision and start work.

Juergen

[pereirac]

Juergen

Not coming anywhere near Cambridge are you? I have a nice Sprint here with Dellortos...

Carl
72 Sprint
98 B10 Alpina

[Esprit2]

There is a third option...Dellortos

Dellortos are the best option, IMHO. While I do belive Zenith-Strombergs are better than their reputation, it's a matter of different strokes for different folks. I've cosidered the differences and my preferences, and replaced three sets of Strombergs with three sets of Dellortos. Even between Dellortos and Webers, I chose Dellortos.

Dellorto DHLA 40's were standard fitment in those Europa Twin Cams equipped with "Weber" heads. That means there is Lotus factory set-up data available for Dells on a Twin Cam, and you don't have to work it all out for yourselt. You would still have to work out the final tune for your specific engine, but you would have a good starting point.

Regards,
Tim Engel

[billwill]

I could be interested in your Weber head as mine is kaput.

[FOX5D]

Hi Juergen

I have been waiting patiently for replacement temperature compensator strips for my strombergs since January. Gower and Lee (Watford uk) recently told me that some firm (that I can't remember the name of) are remanufacturing these and other stromberg bits. This is due to a build up of demand from jaguar, Lotus and other owners. They are due this month.

I thought you might find this helpful as these strips have to be replaced every so many k miles.

Jim